Tengu Night
by Misbegotten Misfit
Summary: Nomi reveals his human origins to Randy. He must face up to his own past while his student deals with a crisis of his own: Howard.
1. Making Ends Meet

**Author: decided to write some Randy Cunningham stuff. This will probably just end up being my theory of Nomi's past. And despite the title this story has absolutely nothing to do with the Tengu. So, enjoy!**

* * *

Much time was spent watching and waiting for the right moment, as was the way of the ninja, but that did have its downside. Many years went by since the time the Ninja Nomicon came into being, at least in his present state, and he had watched over and taught countless ninja's to protect Norrisville only to have them depart. Very few learned of his past and even fewer actually cared. This time he expected nothing different as he sat in the kitchen of the Cunningham household chatting with the current ninja's mother, not actually paying attention to the conversation. This was somewhat of a hitch in his plan though as he had not intended to be noticed by the woman. Randy had left him in the living room last night when Howard had come over. When morning came he'd left the book, stashing the blank tome in his black cape for safe keeping. Then, like she'd somehow magically sensed the presence of a visitor, Randy's mother poked her head through the doorway with a smile on her face and said, "Well, hello there! Are you a friend of Randy's?"

Giving a meek smile he replied, caught off guard by her sudden appearance, "Um, yes. We've been chatting for quite some time and I've decided to come for a visit. Is he in?"

"I didn't know Randy had a pen-pal." She said, "He's still asleep. Where are you from…?"

"Nomi." He said.

"Nomi. Where are you from, Nomi?" she asked, nodding.

He thought for a moment before saying, "Japan."

She nodded again then headed to the kitchen, gesturing for him to come with to continue the conversation. He followed suit and watched as she poured two cups of coffee and offered him one. He took it even though he wasn't all too fond of the bitter drink. They sat down at the kitchen table and chatted for a while before a tall, slim, purple-haired boy entered the room.

While the events of the last paragraph took place Randy Cunningham lay asleep in his bed. He'd stayed up until three in the morning playing video games with Howard, who was playing from his own home online. The boy didn't remember falling asleep or climbing up to his bed, but somehow that's where he ended up.

The last thing he could remember was yawning as Howard told him over voice chat, "Dude, your grave punching sucks. Get some sleep."

Now it was around seven in the morning and he lay there snoring peacefully, unaware that he'd forgotten to turn off his alarm the previous night. The realization didn't hit him until it had went off, he'd fallen out of bed, crashed to the floor, and lay there for ten minutes before smacking the snooze. He groaned for a moment before pulling himself off the carpet and getting dressed.

Randywalked down the stairs, yawning. He made his way to the kitchen and mumbled, "Morning, Mom." As he walked past her to the counter to pour himself some cereal. Right before he was about to put milk into his McFistio's his eyes widened and he whipped around and said, "What the juice?!"

The room's two other occupants stared at him curiously, wondering what the sudden outburst had been about. Then his mother followed his gaze directly to the red-head sitting across from her.

She smiled and said, "Oh, honey, your friend came to visit! He's been so sweet and we've been having the most wonderful conversation. Would you like to join us?"

The purple-haired teen quickly composed himself and plastered a big fake smile to his face.

"No, mom. I'm gonna show him my room, if that's ok!" he replied with false enthusiasm.

The woman didn't have time to answer before Randy grabbed the red-headed boy by the wrist and dragged him upstairs.

As soon as they were in his room Randy let the fake smile fall into a stern frown and gazed suspiciously at the other teen. The strange boy stared at him indifferently, no clear expression on his face. His eyes widened in shock though when Randy shoved his again the wall and held him there by his shoulder, something he hadn't expected. In truth he could have put his student on his backside but he allowed him to believe he had the upper hand.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Randy demanded.

Nomi plucked the hand from his shoulder by the pointer finger and Randy let it drop to his side again. He brushed himself off as Randy eyed him suspiciously, having learn by now to be wary of strangers that suddenly showed up seemingly from nowhere. The strangely dressed teen placed his hand on his hip, looked up at Randy, and stared him down saying, "Honestly, Randy, I thought you'd figure it out by now, but I guess I didn't choose you to be the ninja due to your intelligence."

Surprise took over the other teen as he stared at Nomi, his voice clearly displaying his shock, "How do you know I'm the ninja?! … And what do you mean you chose me?"

The redhead crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, looking at Randy as if he were an idiot.

Randy continued, "The ninja is chosen by the Ninja Nomicon, the eight hundred year old book of ancient ninja knowledge and wisdo- Oh my god you're the Nomicon?!"

He smirked at his student's surprised face and said, "I recall Howard having a similar reaction when he found out you were the ninja."

Randy was quiet for a moment before his eyes lit up and a smile came to his face, this time it was real, and he exclaimed, "This is so honkin' bruce!" he held up his finger and rushed to the phone, "Hold on a second, I gotta call Howard and tell him about this!"

Nomi rolled his brown eyes and asked, "Must you constantly relay information to your odious friend?"

Randy looked at him, confused slightly, and replied, "You mean Howard? Of course! He's my best bro!"

The caped teen rolled his eyes and made his way back to the kitchen to make himself some tea.

Randy watched after him, confused by his actions, but chose not to ask. Nomi would tell him when he felt like it. He then proceeded to call his best friend.

The phone rang twice before a groggy sounding Howard answered, "Waddaya want, Cunningham? It's like seven in the morning!"

"I know, I know, Howard! But the coolest thing just happened! You need to come over right now!" Randy said excitedly into the phone.

He heard something that sounded like a confirmation and then the call ended. Randy couldn't wait to tell Howard!

* * *

A knock on the door interrupted Randy's previously interrupted breakfast. Nomi began to get up but Randy flew out of his seat to the door shouting, "I got it!" like his mother hadn't already left for work. As expected, it was Howard. The rotund boy followed his scrawny friend to the kitchen where Nomi sat at the table drinking tea.

"Sup?" he asked, waving to the redhead casually, then he whispered to Randy, "Who's the freak?"

"Dude! This is the Nomicon!" the slim teen whispered back.

"What?!" Howard shouted, "Cunningham, you're telling me this guy is your Ninja-Know-It-All book?!"

Randy nodded and Nomi just sipped his tea. Howard quickly recovered from his shock, putting on an uncaring face.

In a voice that dripped sarcasm he simply said, "You know, I thought he'd be taller."

"You are just as repugnant as always, Howard." Nomi stated curtly.

Randy's best friend narrowed his eyes at the red-haired teen and said, "I don't like you."

"And I don't care." His response was blunt and held a bit of scorn.

Randy jumped in saying, "Ok! Nomicon, you never told me why you decided to show up now.

"…and why you don't go back to where you came from." Howard mumbled under his breath.

Nomi put his tea down and sighed, "There is trouble coming."

"I'm sure it's nothing Cunningham can't handle, so you just go back to being an annoying magic book and we'll take care of it." How said dismissively.

Randy glared at his friend and the pudgy teen asked, "What?" like he didn't know what he did wrong. Nomi's eye twitched. Hopefully Randy would take him more seriously.

He waved his hand, ignoring Howard, and continued, "This is a danger you cannot handle alone. You are not yet ready for such a task. As such, I will train you, but if you are not fully prepared by the time the event occurs I will handle it myself."

"Cunningham's got this. We don't need you!" Howard said angrily, he didn't like being ignored.

"Howard!" The tall, slim teen shouted.

The shorter glared up at his friend and shouted back, "What the juice, Cunningham?! Are you seriously siding with him?! Whatever, I'm outta here."

Randy watched as Howard walked out and slammed the door. Then he sat in the chair across from Nomi and sighed, "I'm sorry about Howard, Nomicon."

Nomi looked at Randy with concern, seeing his distress over the argument. He reached over and placed a hand on the other's forearm and said, "It'll be alright. Just give him some time to calm down."

The boy nodded then smiled up at his teacher, "So, what bruce move are you gonna teach me first?"

Nomi smiled and went back to drinking his tea. After a long pause he said, "Before you can learn any 'bruce moves' you must work on your focus."

Randy furrowed his brow and said, "Focus? Come on, Nomicon! I-"

Nomi put his hand up to stop him and said, "Randy, focus is a key skill for a ninja. If you do not focus during a battle, during train, or while preforming a skill you are doomed to fail. You have yet to master the art of disguise because you cannot keep focus."

Randy pouted, but didn't object. The two sat in silence for a while. He had so many questions for his teacher but he had no idea where to start. Eventually he settled on, "So, Nomicon, were you always a book or…?"

The smaller teen smiled sadly, his eyes haunted by memories, and said, "That is a tale I will tell you in due time."

Randy felt sympathy for the human Nomicon and begun to say, "Nomicon-"

But Nomi interrupted him, "Please, Randy. My name is Nomi, Nomi Conikos Norisu."

The boy's eyes widened in awe, "So you were one of the Norisu Nine?!"

He nodded to the awe-struck high-schooler then changed the subject, "Finish your breakfast so we may get on with your lessons. Honestly, if you cannot stay focused long enough to finish a bowl of cereal how will you stay focused long enough to master your ninja skills?"


	2. Movie Night

**Author: another chapter. Things are moving a little slow. I'm looking at some Randicon for future chapters.**

* * *

"How long do I have to sit here?" Randy asked, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie.

"You are missing the point of the lesson. You will sit here until you get it right." Nomi sighed.

Randy rolled his eyes and stood up. He was bored. He asked, exasperated, "Is there even a point to this lesson? It's just like climbing that stupid waterfall. I don't see how any of this will help me. Teach me something useful!"

Nomi's eye twitched in irritation, but Randy didn't notice. The irritation crept into his voice as he said, "Fine."

Before Randy had the chance to blink a fist sailed toward his head. He barely had enough time to dodge it. He was going to say something but Nomi performed a sweep kick, knocking Randy on his rear. The purple-haired teen glared at him and shouted, "What the juice, Nomi?!"

Nomi raised an eyebrow at the other's anger and replied, "I thought you wanted me to teach you something."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you were going to _attack_ me!" he shouted, taking the hand Nomi offered him to help him up.

"If I don't attack you how else will you learn to dodge or counterattack?" was the response he received.

"You could give me a little warning next time!" Randy said.

Sighed and shook his head, "If I gave you warning it wouldn't be a real fight and you wouldn't learn anything. Do your enemies forewarn you before they attack?"

He question had been rhetorical, but Randy still said, "No…"

"Then let us begin." Nomi said and waited for Randy to put on the Ninja mask.

The moment the purple-haired boy was ready Nomi threw another punch, but this time Randy was prepared. He dodged with ease and attempted to strike back, but Nomi kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall. Randy got up and ran at his teacher. When he was about to strike Nomi side-stepped him and grabbed him by the back of the shirt, throwing him into the wall. Again Randy got to his feet and tried to attack, again ending up failing.

"I must hand it to you, Randy, you are very persistent." Nomi stated, "But the point of this lesson is to better learn to counterattack."

"Isn't that what I'm doing?" the boy asked.

Nomi shook his head, "No, Randy. Now get up and we'll go again."

Randy obliged, standing up and brushing himself off. They continued to fight until the phone rang. Randy hurried down to the living room to answer it. Nomi waited patiently upstairs until the other boy got back. A few minutes passed before Randy returned. He rubbed the back of his head and said, "That was my mom. She's going to be home late tonight."

"I'm sorry, Randy." Nomi said with sympathy.

"For what? It's not your fault she has to work." Randy said, "But that does mean we have to figure out something for dinner though."

Nomi's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't thought about that. Being a book for so long it's easy to forget that he still needed sustenance.

Randy shrugged and announced, "I'll just order a pizza. There's only two of us so that should be fine."

The red head nodded, thinking that it should be ok. Randy stopped to think for a moment the asked, "So… Can you eat?"

"Yes. I was human once, Randy. Though I am less now I still require basic necessities." The boy responded matter-of-factly.

* * *

The two of them went downstairs after a long discussion about whether they should continue training or not. Nomi had proposed the idea, but Randy was tired of getting his butt kicked so he was having no part of it. Eventually a compromise was reached: They would quit for today but begin first thing tomorrow. So now Randy threw himself on the couch and clicked the TV on. "The Avengers" was playing on the channel that came on and he decided to watch it instead of flipping through the guide. Nomi raised a curious eyebrow at the movie but did not stop to watch it. Instead, he plucked a book off the shelf and began reading. Randy smirked to himself. A book reading a book. He knew Nomi was actually a person but it was still kind of funny.

The boys sat through the rest of "The Avengers" and finished half of "Ghost Rider", with Nomi reading while Randy was immersed in cinema, before the purple haired boy's stomach reminded him that there was pizza to be ordered. Hitting the pause button on his xfinity cable remote, he got up and went to the phone. The number for the pizza place was on speed dial so all he had to do was press a button and it began dialing.

The worker he usually got picked up on the other end and said, "Hey, Randy. Sup?"

"Hey, Stevie. Nothing much, Mom's at work again." Randy said casually.

"So, you want the usual?" Stevie asked.

"Yep." Came the answer from Randy.

"We'll have it to you in about fifteen minutes." Stevie said as he usually did at least five nights a week.

"Thanks, man." Randy said and hung up.

Reentering the room, Randy announced, "Pizza will be here in 15."

Nomi nodded in acknowledgement and continued reading, so Randy kept watching his movie.

Exactly fifteen minutes later the pizza guy showed up and dinner was finally there. The two teens went to the kitchen and Randy distributed food onto two plates. Nomi cringed as he watched Randy pick up the greasy food and bite into it. He decided to get some silverware from the drawer and began eating. Randy raised a curious eyebrow at Nomi and said, "What the juice, Nomi? You're not doing it right."

"I prefer to use a more civilized method, thank you." Said Nomi.

The two chatted while they ate. Eventually they retired back to the living room and Randy tried to convince Nomi that he should stop reading a watch TV. At first Nomi said no but the guy was persistent and wore him down. Randy decided to let Nomi choose what movie they watched and after about fifteen minutes spent searching through Movies on Demand he settled on "Warm Bodies". They watched most of it with both of them making comments and asking questions during the film. Nomi began to get sleepy near the end and before the credits rolled he'd fallen asleep leaning on Randy. The purple-haired teen didn't notice though, as he was on his way to falling asleep too, and by the time his mother got home they were both passed out on the couch. The woman looked at the two and smiled.


	3. A Lesson Learned

**Author: I finished another chapter. The next one will mark the beginning of a long flashback.**

* * *

It was Sunday and the sun had just peaked over the horizon. Randy's mother lay asleep in her bed, not having to work until seven thirty. Randy himself was sleeping in his own bed. It's unknown how he ended up there as he and Nomi had fallen asleep on the couch the night before, but somehow he was in bed. Only one of the house's occupants was awake at the moment, but that would change soon.

Nomi climbed to the top of the ladder that was needed to get to Randy's bed and attempted to wake the sleeping teen. The boy stirred slightly and mumbled something. Nomi sighed and tried again. This time randy pulled his cover over his head and spoke, only slightly more coherent than before. It had sounded something like, "5 more minutes", but he couldn't be sure. Nomi pulled the blankets off of Randy's head and said, "Get up."

The purple-haired youth opened a single eye and glared at his teacher, "What is it? I'm trying to sleep!"

"I know, but now it is time for training." Nomi said calmly.

Randy glanced at his clock and said, "No honkin' way! It'ssix in the morning!"

Nomi watched his student with an air of indifference and replied, "This is what we agreed on. Now get up and get ready."

The red head climbed down from the ladder and left the room without another word, leaving Randy to wake waited in the living room for 10 minutes. When he thought Randy had fallen asleep again he was going to go wake him again, but Randy walked into the room.

"Listen, Nomi, we can't do ninja training in the living room! My Mom might walk in!" Randy said, yawning.

Nomi rolled his eyes and said, "We aren't. I was merely waiting for you to get ready, which you haven't yet."

Randy yawned again and shot the other a quizzical look saying, "Not ready? I'm totally ready! I got dressed and everything!"

"Yes, and that would be fine if you were attending school, but this is ninja training, not English class." Nomi said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh!" Randy exclaimed as it dawned on him where his mistake was made, "Just let me write a note for Mom when she gets up."

He wrote a small note and left it on the kitchen table then put on his Ninja mask, the suit forming on him. The two left the house, Randy following Nomi, and set off in the direction of the construction yard. Randy tried asking where they were going and why only to be told, "Be patient. You'll find out when we get there."

The Ninja stared up at the tower of metal beams that had yet to become anything resembling a building. It was easily thirty stories and not close to finished.

"Ummm… Nomi, what are we doing here?" Randy asked nervously, tugging at the scarf around his neck.

When Nomi spoke he say the words Randy had been dreading, "Our lesson starts at the top."

Randy gulped, "Up there? You mean, up there up there?"

"Is that a problem?" Nomi asked, raising an eyebrow. It seemed almost as if he were taunting his student.

"Oh, no. No problem. Why would there be a problem? It's just thirty stories. Nothing I can't handle." Randy said nonchalantly, rubbing his arm.

"Then let's go." Nomi replied and began running up the beams.

Randy hesitated then followed. He almost fell a few times, using his scarf to grab the metal beams and continue up the tower. At the top he saw Nomi sitting on one of the vertical columns. Randy looked up at his teacher and balanced himself on a horizontal beam, wavering slightly.

"See, no problem! What's next?" Randy asked, nervousness hinted in his voice.

Nomi smirked, "Now you'll learn focus."

"What?! We came all the way up here for that?!" The purple-haired teen shouted, temporarily losing his balance.

Nomi watched Randy right himself and explained, "You wouldn't take my lesson seriously so I thought I'd make it a little more interesting. You will need perfect focus to not fall off of that bar, especially-" Nomi jumped down onto the bar, causing Randy to waver, and withdrew his sword, "- when you're being attacked."

Nomi swung his ninja sword at Randy who jumped back, slipping a little. The attacks came swiftly. Randy didn't have enough time to think in between slashes, almost getting cut with each one.

Suddenly, Nomi stepped back and lowered his sword saying, "Tune out all distractions and focus your mind on the task at hand. Don't think about the height or about falling, just focus. If you don't then you'll never get past where you are now."

Randy nodded and stood completely still. He breathed in and tried to eliminate all other thoughts from his mind. He breathed out, concentrating solely on his objective. He opened his eyes and took out his own sword, "I'm ready."

Nomi smirked, lunging for him and saying, "We'll see."

The clang of metal rang out as their swords clashed and they were both forced back a few feet. They were at it again immediately, swords meeting swords. The two fought as naturally as if they were on the ground.

"Not bad." Nomi said to Randy as the darker haired boy slashed at his stomach.

Randy dodged another attack, jumping back and landing on his feet, saying, "You're not too bad yourself."

Clang! Another strike tore through the morning air. They kept fighting until the two were sitting on the beam leaning on each other, laughing. They didn't know why they were laughing so hard, but neither of them cared either.

Randy finally wiped a tear from his eye and said, "Ok, ok! I need to check the time!"

He looked at his phone and saw the digital numbers, "Oh, man! It's already noon!"

"Really?" Nomi turned a surprised expression to him.

Randy paused for a long moment. His eyes were troubled. When he spoke his voice was low, "Maybe I should call Howard?"

Nomi didn't say anything, his expression having become serious again.

Randy half smiled and it looked just as fake as it felt, "Maybe he's gotten over it by now?"

Randy sighed and told his phone to call Howard.

A smug voice on the other end answered with, "I'm assuming you're calling to apologize?"

"Apologize for what, Howard?" frustration creeping into Randy's tone.

Howard responded, "For being such a chowderhead, Cunningham!"

"I didn't do anything wrong, Howard! You were being a selfish wonk!" Randy shouted into the phone.

"Then we have nothing to talk about!" Howard yelled then hung up.

Randy threw his phone against the vertical beam then buried his face in his hands. After a few minutes he stood up and paced on the bar in frustration.

"Nomi, Howard is being so stupid! He was a complete schoob yesterday and he expects _me_ to apologize! Not only that, he's acting like a total jerk! What should I do?!" Randy ranted.

Nomi gazed at him with sympathy and said, "I'm not the best person to come to for friendship advice."

Randy sat down next to him and said, "You have to be able to tell me _something_!"

A haunted expression took over Nomi's face. He sighed and said, "Randy, a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind."

Randy hugged his knees and said flatly, "I'm in the middle of a crisis here, the last thing I need are more riddles."

"If you let him get to you it will only make you feel worse." Nomi simplified, pain still lurking in his eyes. That was one meaning for his words, but they had another more personal meaning.

Randy nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right." He rolled his eyes teasingly, "Like always."

Nomi faked being offended, "Are you implying that's I'm a know-it-all?!"

"What?! No! I'd never do that!" Randy said sarcastically then whistled suspiciously.

Nomi punched him in the arm and laughed. Randy smiled and began laughing too. Just like that everything seemed alright again.


	4. How I Met The Sorcerer

**Author: Here's a really long flashback and a look into Nomi's past. Warning: Headcannon**

* * *

Japan. Over 800 years ago.

A young boy sat on the porch of his house and watched the people that were in his yard. His parents were hosting a party to celebrate the return of their old friends. His bright red bangs feel into his eyes and he brushed them away. Then he looked up and saw a boy with dark green hair staring down at him.

The boy smiled and said, "Hello. My name's Sora. It's nice to meet you!"

The small red-head smiled awkwardly and said shyly, "I'm Nomi. So, you're the Kajitani's son?"

The boy nodded and sat down next to Nomi. He flinched at the sudden action but recovered quickly.

"How old are you?" Sora asked.

Nomi fidgeted with the two long strands of hair he had in front and said, "Six. I'm in the middle when you compare me to my brothers and sisters. What about you?"

"I'm six and a half. It must be really nice having siblings. I'm an only child." The boy sighed.

Nomi shrugged, "It's ok sometimes, but most of the time I don't really like it."

"Why?" The green-haired youth asked.

"My parents are always comparing me to my older siblings and I just don't measure up. I don't do as well asDaiku or Yui in ninja training. It's like I can't do anything right!" Nomi said, hugging his knees.

Sora smirked, "Well your parents are wrong. You're pretty cool! And you'll be an awesome ninja some day!"

"You really think so?" The red head said excitedly, his eyes lighting up with hope.

"Of Course! You're gonna be the best ever!" his strange new friend shouted gleefully, throwing his hands up in the air.

Their attention was taken by the voice of Sora's father, "Sora, come along now. It's time to go home."

The boy got up and waved as he left with his parents, saying, "See you later, Nomi!"

* * *

"You made a new friend?" The older Norisu asked.

Nomi nodded, "Sora seems really nice."

His father sighed and said, "Friendship is a weight a ninja cannot carry, Nomi. The sooner you learn that lesson the better, my son."

"Isn't Mr. Kajitani your friend?" Nomi wondered.

"We are business partners, nothing more." His father said flatly.

Nomi pouted and said defiantly, "That's stupid. It can't hurt to have friends."

"It can. More than you know." His father gazed at him with disapproval. He ignored it. Nomi was used to getting that look from his family.

* * *

The two teens peered over the edge of a cliff at the rocky water below. They were tossing stones into the rapids to try to hear when they collided with the angry water. Today Nomi's curiosity got the best of him.

"You know, we've been friends for six years now and nobody's told me what your family's business is." He asked.

Sora's hair rested around his shoulders with his bangs covering one eye. He smirked and said, "I'll show you."

Before Nomi could answer Sora plucked one of the small spheres from his belt and a strange green smoke came out of it. The smoke traveled behind them and they ran after it into the woods. Nomi watched it coil around a lizard and saw the lizard get larger, its eyes popping in its skull. He stepped back, surprised. As the animal jumped at him, its jagged teeth dripping saliva, the smoke was sucked from it and it landed harmlessly on his head, back to being a normal lizard. He glimpsed the smoke retreat back into the small orb.

"What was that?!" Nomi asked, shocked.

Sora replied, "Its magic. The people in my family are sorcerers; we have been for years."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the red haired boy asked.

"It didn't come up." Sora shrugged then pointed to Nomi and started laughing, "Hey man, looks like you got a new friend!"

Nomi raised a questioning eyebrow then realized what he meant.

He exclaimed, "Oh!" then reached up and plucked the lizard off the top of his head by the tip of its tail, "I forgot about this little guy."

The lizard squirmed as he held it in front of him, looking at it. It looked perfectly normal. It looked at Nomi then and surprised him when its tongue darted out of its mouth right into his eye. He dropped it and rubbed at his eye with the back of his hand. Sora laughed the whole time.

"It's not funny!" Nomi shouted indignantly.

"Yes it is." Sora said, smirking.

Nomi seethed and Sora punched him in the arm saying, "Lighten up."

The shorter boy rubbed his arm and smiled a little, "Ok, it was a little funny. So, you can make monsters?"

Sora nodded and said, "Yeah, but that's not all I can do. As a sorcerer I can perform all kinds of magic. I just don't really know how yet."

"That's amazing! Can you teach me?" Nomi asked excitedly.

Sora shrugged and rubbed his arm, "I don't know. I'm still learning. My dad's the guy you'd want to talk to about that kind of stuff. I could try…"

Nomi smiled and his friend's usual arrogant confidence returned. The green-haired boy announced, "Ok! I, Sora Kajitani, Master Sorcerer, will teach you the basics of magic!"

"Yes! Thank you!" Nomi exclaimed hugging his friend then quickly pulling away looking awkward and shy.

It didn't phase Sora as he continued boastfully, "First I'll teach you a basic move _I've_ already mastered called the Air Fist."

Sora showed Nomi the movements for the spell and told him to try it for himself saying, "You might not get it on your first try, but don't be upset if you fail. Not everybody can be a _Master Sorcerer_ like _me._"

The red head nodded attempting the action and ended up destroying a tree with the Air Fist, but it also knocked him off his feet right on to his rear. Sora stared at the place where the tree had been; he still hadn't been able to do that move. He quickly recovered himself and said, "You need some work on that one. Why don't we move on?"

Nomi picked himself up and brushed off his clothes then said, "Sure, ok. That was awesome!"

"Good. Now this next one is kind of tricky. It relies heavily on the words you say instead of actions." Sora explained.

The middle Norisu nodded and he continued, "It's called the Earth Attack. It goes likes this, 'Stay grounded, do not waver. The dirt itself will pay you a favor. To stop your foes and hold them back. Harness the soil for an earth attack.'"

Nomi wrinkled his nose and asked, "Why does it rhyme?"

Sora rolled his eyes and replied, "Because it's awesome. In, like, 800 years everybody's going to be into rhyming. And I'll be the guy who started it."

"I highly doubt that." Nomi said, also rolling his eyes.

"Ok. Ok. Are you going to try it or not?" Sora persisted.

Nomi repeated his friend's words and sighed, "Nothing happened."

"Of course not. You have to add something of your own afterwards, whatever you want to happen or create."

"Does it have to rhyme?" Nomi groaned.

"Yes." Sora say flatly.

He groaned again. Sora laughed, "I'll teach you more later. Let's get home."

They were heading back through the woods when a child ran up to them, it was Nomi's younger sister, Mei.

"Nomi! Kajitani!" she shouted in panic.

They rushed to her and Nomi asked, "Mei! Mei, what's wrong?"

She huffed, winded, "Something's happened! We need to hurry!"

They all took over in the direction she'd come from; Mei being the fastest and leading the way; Nomi was second; and Sora was bringing up the rear, having no special training that would make him faster. The sight that lay in front of them upon exiting the woods resembled a scene from Hell. The house Sora's family had called home was a blazing inferno. He stared in horror as the flames continued to spread, engulfing everything. The Norisu's were hard at work to try to control it, and it seemed to be helping. Daiku, Nomi's oldest brother and family favorite, gestured to him to help so he jumped in to aid them.

It was night time when the fire had finally been extinguished. Sora ran to what was left of the entrance to his home but Nomi's father put his arm out to block the 12-year-old boy. He stared up at the man, a question lurking in his eyes. As if he'd read the child's mind, the older man shook his head. Sora fell to his knees, sobbing. His father did not survive the fire. Suddenly he felt an arm wrap around him. It was comforting and he picked his head up to see who it belonged too. Nomi gazed at him sadly, sympathy in his eyes. Sora buried his face in his best friend's chest and cried.

* * *

For the next two year Sora stayed with the Norisu family. For the few days after his father's death the boy walked around with a dark cloud hanging over his head. When that faded away Nomi thought his friend would be back to his usual self, but he was wrong. He would snap at him for strange reasons and refused to talk with him about things. He began keeping secrets and eventually turned into a bitter mess of a person. They had been arguing one day at the beginning of summer and Sora stormed off to his room.

Nomi followed him and demanded, "What is wrong with you?! You've been like this for two years! I understand you're upset but that doesn't mean you have to treat us badly!"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?! I'll tell you what's wrong with me!" Sora shouted, but then his voice became a whisper, "It was my fault…"

"What do you mean?" Nomi asked quietly, confused.

Sora said darkly, "I forgot to put the candle out in my room in the morning. It had to be the reason…"

"Sora… You don't know for sure. It could have been a lot of things. It's not your fault." Nomi said sympathetically.

"No!" The green-haired teen shouted, "Don't lie to me! I know it was my fault!"

"I was only trying to help!" Nomi yelled.

Sora shoved Nomi and he fell to the floor. The boy stared down at him and said, "I don't want your help."

Nomi glared up at him, but didn't say anything. Instead he ran out of the room and left the house. He needed air. His brother Naru, who was fifteen now, watched him go and shouted after him, "Nomi? Where you going?" but he didn't answer. He just kept walking; away from Sora, away from his family, away from his problems. He looked at the houses he passed on his way through town and felt even worse. Lanterns hung above his head, casting a smooth glow on everything around them. He stopped walking and sighed, feeling bad about yelling at his best friend.

"You're troubled." A voice said.

He turned his head in the direction the voice had come from and saw an elderly woman, a fortune-teller. He cast his gaze to the ground and rubbed his arm.

"It's alright, child. Sit down and tell me what's wrong." She said caringly.

He sat across from her at the table in front of her house. She sat a warm cup of tea in front of him and said, "Have some tea, dear. It helps with stress."

He sipped the tea and began to explain, "I had a fight with my best friend… He hasn't been himself since there was an accident and his father died. He blames himself… I try to be a good friend, but I can't even do that right."

"It seems like there's a lot more on your mind than just your friend." She observed.

He nodded and took another sip of tea before continuing, "My family… My brother, Daiku, is my family's favorite. He's smart and strong and better at everything. Everybody compares me to him… I've always lived in his shadow."

"I see." She responded simply.

He sighed again took another drink. She smiled and said, "Let me see."

"Huh?" he asked, confused. She gestured to the cup and he handed it to her.

She looked at the leaves in the bottom and her expression became sorrowful. She looked at him with sympathy and said, "There is great sorrow and hardship in store for you. You should go now, before its too late."

His eyes widened. He was going to ask what she meant but he had a terrible feeling that he already understood. He nodded and dashed off down the stone path back toward his house. He ran at his top speed through the entrance and came to a complete stop when he got inside. The house was dark and eerily quiet. Not a lantern was lit even though night had begun to fall. He crept through the building, using he stealth skills to remain undetected. Nomi checked each room only to find them empty. Eventually he reached the training room, where the siblings were given their ninja lessons. Carefully, he opened the door then stumbled back in horror. Sora stood in the middle of the room, one of the family's swords in his hand, covered in blood. Around him lay the bodies of the other Norisu. His siblings; the twins Mei and Ming, Naru, Yui, and even Daiku, all lay dead and bleeding on the floor. His parents and grandfather, they were all dead. Sora shook with silent laughter and turned his head enough to look at Nomi with a single eye.

"Nice of you to join us, Nomi" the boy said, his tone dripping hatred.

"Sora...? D-did you… kill them?" Nomi stuttered.

"Yes." Came the simple reply.

"Why?!" the red head shouted, tears falling from his eyes.

Sora was quiet for a long time and when he finally spoke his voice was dark and venomous, "I wanted you to know how I felt... How I felt when I lost the only family I had left."

Sora turned and walked toward Nomi, who, despite how he was taught to hold his ground, stepped back until he was against the wall. Sora put the sword's blade up to his former friend's neck and watched him quiver. Nomi closed his eyes, waiting for his life to be taken, but the moment didn't come. He opened his eyes and saw the katana on the floor and Sora walking away. He fell to his knees and screamed until he couldn't anymore. Then he collapsed on the ground, laying on his side, and sobbed.

When sunrise came Nomi stood on his feet and gazed at the bodies of his family. He was the last Norisu, meaning it was up to him to avenge his family. With new determination he made his way to the back of the room and tore open the small panel in the wall. Sitting in the tiny alcove was an antique box with the family's symbol on it. He opened it and withdrew a black and red mask that resonated power. He put it in his pocket and hurried to his room, packing his things. Nomi stepped out the front door and began his journey to find the sorcerer who killed his family.

* * *

**Well, glad we got through that. I'm sorry if this wasn't what you had expected. I just always thought that the Sorcerer and Nomi were friends as kids and that's why the Nomicon is so against Randy's friendship with Howard. As for the names of the Norisu Nine, i'm not sure if they're right. I read somewhere that those were their names. Hope you liked it.**

**I'll try to post concepts for Sora as a teen at deviantart. my username is MisbegottenMisfit is you want to look for the concepts in my gallery.**

**Edit: Yui, Daiku, Ming, Mei, and Naru belong to ChihuahuaRocks.**


	5. Some Things Never Change

**Author: I know Howard's not been in the recent chapters, but there's been a reason for that. I'm not trying to replace him, guys. I wanted to extend their argument for a few chapters to stress how similar Randy and Howard's friendship was to Nomi and Sora's. Howard's in this chapter, guys. Its kind of unavoidable since they're going back to school.**

**And now for something completely unrelated: I just saw that the Nomicon is available in the character selection menu! Ok, on with the story.**

* * *

The alarm clock rang at precisely seven, but Randy was already awake. Actually, he'd never went to sleep. Everything that had happened in the last few days was overwhelming. He couldn't help thinking about his best friend, especially since he would see him in every class in school today. They'd fought before and have always made amends, he just had to hope this time it was the same. Sighing, he climbed off his bed and got dressed then proceeded downstairs for breakfast. His mother had left him a note on the table. He read it and put it in his pocket before making some cereal. Randy sat and stared at his food for a few minutes, stirring it around with the spoon. Eventually he decided he didn't have an appetite and left the bowl on the table. Nomi walked down the stairs, and said hello to Randy, who stared at him strangely.

"What?" Nomi questioned. He thought for a moment and assumed it may be the black schoolbag he was carrying that confused his student and explained, "I will be attending school with you in case you need advice, which you frequently do."

Randy furrowed his brow and said, "You can't go to school dressed like that."

Now it was Nomi's turn to be confused. He asked, "Why?"

"It may have been normal 800 years ago, but now it'll be way too obvious something's wonk." Randy said, dragging him upstairs by the sleeve.

He thought they'd stop at Randy's room and just pull something out of the closet, but where they ended up was the attic. Randy riffled through boxes in the dark, dusty space, looking for something.

"What are we doing here, Randy?" Nomi sighed.

"Well you can't borrow my clothes; I'm taller than you so they wouldn't fit. Mom stores my old clothes up here." Randy said, withdrawing some articles from the box.

He handed Nomi a green hoodie, a black turtle-neck, and a pair of jeans. He checked the tags on them and was glad to find out that they were not McFist brand, for some reason. He stopped and wondered why he cared, but could not find the answer.

The two arrived at school with a few minutes to spare.

Randy ran a frustrated hand through his hair and said, "I gotta find Howard."

Nomi nodded in understanding and watched Randy run through the front doors into the building. He called out his friend's name and eventually found him at his locker. The other boy was acting like he didn't notice his friend.

"Howard! Are you even listening to me?!" Randy asked.

"Hmm. What? Did you say something, Cunningham?" Howard asked as if he hadn't heard anything at all.

Randy rolled his eyes and said, "Seriously, Howard? When is this fighting going to stop?"

"When _you_ apologize." Howard answered.

"For what? Wanting you to show a little respect? How am _I_ at fault here?" Randy said, narrowing his eyes.

Howard's eyes widened in shock, "I show a ton of respect!"

"No! You don't! You don't even respect me enough to use my first name!" Randy shouted.

Howard didn't say anything more. How could he? Randy was right but he couldn't see that. Instead of words the two conveyed their anger by glaring at one another. Soon enough the bell rang and their stare-down was broken, needing to get to class.

Class was no better. The two of them arrived late and both received a detention to be served after school that day.

"This is all your fault, Cunningham! If you weren't wasting time then we wouldn't have been late!" Howard said as they took their seats.

Randy shot him a glare but didn't say anything. He wasn't about to get in even more trouble for fighting. The rest of the class passed with the two best friends having a glaring contest as they were forced to work together on a project. Needless to say, not much got done. The rest of the classes passed the same way until lunch time.

At lunch time Randy insisted on dragging Nomi to the lunch room with him. He was heading to his usual table when he saw Howard sitting there. For a moment the purple-haired teen hesitated, but then he continued to that table and sat down in his usual spot. Nomi sat next to him and observed the two, mildly interested. A tense air surrounded the group as Randy glowered at Howard and Howard switched between glowering at Randy and Nomi, mostly at Nomi. For his part Nomi watched with indifference, not caring that Howardwas angry at him. Suddenly, Howard narrowed his eyes at Randy and said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm eating my lunch. What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" Randy snapped at him.

Howard stood and glared at him, "It _looks_ like you're _trying_ to piss me off!"

"I'm sitting in my spot eating my lunch. If you have a problem with that then leave." Randy stated calmly and matter-of-factly.

Howard glared again and stormed out of the cafeteria. Nomi watched him leave then turned his gaze back to Randy. He thought about saying something, but decided against it.

Heidi saw her brother leave in a huff and told her friends she'd be right back. She followed him down the hall and to the steps in front of the building where he sat with his chin propped up on his fists. She sat down next to him and asked in a sisterly tone, "What's wrong?"

"Why do you care?" he snapped.

She remained calm and asked, "Are you still fighting with Andy?"

He cast his eyes to the ground and was silent for a while. She was about to ask again when he said, "Yeah…"

"You don't have to fight." She said.

"I know. I just don't know how to make things better. It's easier to keep fighting." Howard sighed.

Heidi thought for a moment then said thoughtfully, "You could start with 'I'm sorry'."

Eventually the final school bell tolled and all the kids started to file out of the building in hurried chaos. They were all eager to get back to their lives. After a few minutes only three students remained. Nomi was leaning against the locker next to Randy's as the other shoved books from his locker into his book bag.

"Would you like me to stay, Randy?" He asked with concern.

The purple-haired teen sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "No. You go home. I can survive a half hour alone with Howard. Who knows? Maybe it won't be that bad."

The red head raised an eyebrow as if to say that any time with Howard was extremely unpleasant, but he didn't give voice to that opinion. They said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Randy stood outside the door to the classroom where detention was being held and wondered if Howard was already inside. He figured he would be since he hadn't been at his locker. The tall teen readied himself for the hate-filled glare that would hit him when he entered the room and pushed the door open. To his surprise he was the only one in the room apart from the teacher, who was asleep at his desk. Randy glanced around then took a seat in the back of the room and began doing his work. It was a few minutes later that Howard walked in the door and looked around for Randy. When the boy spotted his friend in the back of the room he sat down next to him. Randy tried not to look at him, instead focusing all his attention on the homework sheet in front of him.

Howard looked over at Randy and whispered, "Hey, Cunningham!"

No response.

"Cunningham! Hey! Hello!" Howard whispered, poking him in the arm.

Randy turned to Howard and said, "What?"

"We need to talk." Howard explained.

"I'm doing my work." The purple-haired teen stated.

Howard furrowed his brow and said, "Come on, just hear me out!"

Randy thought for a minute and replied, "Fine."

A silence hung in the air for a while. Randy watched Howard try to form the words he wanted to say. Finally he said, "I'm sorry."

Randy gazed at him in shock and Howard continued, "I was stupid and rude and a total schoob."

"Yeah, you were." Randy said, "But I'm use to it."

"Does this mean we can stop fighting?" Howard asked.

Randy nodded and smiled. They sat for a while then, not knowing what to say. Yes, they'd made up, but there was still a rift.

"You gotta respect Nomi. He's my teacher and I need him if I have any hope of defeating the Sorcerer. And besides, he's not that bad." Randy said, serious.

Howard nodded begrudgingly and said, "Fine."

After some more silence he asked, "Does it really bother you that I don't use your first name, Cunningh- erm, Randy?"

Randy thought about it and said, "It used to, and it still does sometimes, but I don't really mind. It's just your thing."

Howard ran his arm across his forehead wiping away imaginary sweat and sighed in mock relief, "That's good because it feels _really_ weird to call you by your first name."

Randy was about to say something but whatever it had been was lost when the wall exploded inward and a stank'd Bucky charged threw the room and destroyed the opposite wall. Randy and Howard crawled out from underneath their desks, which they'd dived under to avoid debris. Randy tugged at his collar and pulled the ninja mask from his pocket, "I gotta…"

Howard put his hand up and said, "Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing."

Randy ran after Bucky putting on the mask as he ran, the ninja suit forming. Howard leaned on the teacher's desk and asked the snoring adult, "So… Does this mean I can go or…?"

* * *

**Sorry that chapter was a little short. On a side note i plan on writing a new story and also a series of short stories to go with this one. Sort of like an unimportant things to the plot that happened kind of thing.**


	6. Just Another Manic Monday

**Author: I was going to make this chapter longer but decided against it. So, this is the conclusion to Monday. Next chapter can start tueday...**

* * *

Randy and Howard got to the Cunningham household in the early evening. Randy wondered briefly what Nomi had been doing without him before entering the house. Surprisingly, his teacher didn't seem to be present. Howard sat down and played video games while Randy searched for Nomi.

Eventually he came back to his room and said, "I can't find Nomi anywhere."

"Maybe he went for a walk or something." Howard shrugged.

Randy furrowed his brow and said, "I doubt that."

"Whatever. Just sit down, Cunningham, and punch some graves. He'll come back." Howard said.

"This is serious, Howard." Randy stated.

Howard looked up at him and said, "Cunningham, I'm pretty sure your book can take care of himself. He _is_ your ninja teacher after all."

Randy thought about it for a while and decided that Howard was probably right. Nomi knew a lot more than he did about being the Ninja so he was a lot more capable of handling things.

* * *

Nomi dashed down the hall, completely silent. When one of the robotic guards passed he concealed himself, fading into the metal wall behind him, and then reappeared once he was alone again. He knew it was dangerous to be lurking around the McFist building, but he didn't have much of a choice. It's not like he could just walk in the front door, ask them for information about their connection with the Sorcerer, and go home. With a sigh he continued through the building, taking turn after turn, passing door after door, until he was where he needed to be. The red head stood in front of a door labeled "Files and Records". He checked the passage for any traps or alarms that may alert the building's occupants to his presence. Finding none he pushed the door open and went inside. The room had shelves filled with file folders, binders, and paperwork. He looked through each and every one, but came up empty handed. He checked the time on clock on the wall. It was getting late and Randy should have been out of detention already, assuming he and Howard didn't tear one another to shreds. Maybe something would keep him distracted long enough for Nomi to get back before he did? He shook the thought from his mind and focused on the task at hand. Besides, why should he care if Randy found out he wasn't there? He had nothing to hide and would tell his student about his venture when he saw him. Still, he didn't want Randy to worry… Nomi smacked his forehead against his palm several times. He was getting distracted. He needed to stop thinking about Randy. He began sifting through the files once more and noticed something poking out from behind other files on the shelf in the far corner of the room. He went to it and plucked it from its hiding place. Examining the thing he found out it was not a file, but a journal. Nomi flipped through the pages until he saw mention of the Sorcerer. Intrigued, he sat cross-legged on the floor and read the page.

_8/14/89_

_I began work at my father's company today. The scientist in the building has taken an interest in me and I assume it's because of my missing arm. Every time I see him he wants to test a new device, some type of robotic limb… _

The paragraph about the Sorcerer was near the bottom of the page.

_…It was amazing, if not terrifying. I held my first meeting today with The Sorcerer. He promised to give me anything I wanted if I helped him with only one thing. He wanted me to destroy the Ninja. After what the Ninja had done I was more than glad to get rid of him and maybe get my hand back in return…_

Nomi read over the entire page again, ignoring the numerous words crossed out due to spelling mistakes, and thought back to that time. McAntfee had been the Ninja in 1985, and that had been the biggest mistake he'd ever made. He'd expelled the teen within the year after Antfee had locked Dicky in the Freezer just so he could attend a school dance and inadvertently cut off Hannibal McFist's arm. Nomi shivered as he thought of that moment.

Antfee had been showing off, slashing his sword around, and then he lost his grip and the katana went flying. It had flown right at McFist's head but the teen moved to run and it narrowly missed decapitating him. Unfortunately he hadn't been fast enough to escape the blade completely and the end of it caught him in the shoulder, the sharp blade slicing his arm clean off. Mac had then thrown down a smoke bomb and fled from the grisly scene. There had been so much blood everywhere that it had reminded Nomi of…

No. He wasn't going to think about that. He slammed the small journal shut and tucked it into his cape, trying to keep his painful memories at bay. Try as he may though they pushed their way to the forefront of his mind. Images flashed in his head: The dead bodies of his family scattered about a room drenched in blood, His best friend holding a sword to his neck fully intent on his demise, opening his eyes to see that friend walking away without a word. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell like a waterfall down his cheeks. He shook the thoughts from his head, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, and stood up to leave the room.

Nomi closed the door behind him as he stepped into the hall. He quickly headed back the way he'd came, in a rush to get home. He froze when he reached the vent he'd used to get in and hid himself. A few of McFist's robotic gorillas were investigating the triangular opening in the wall. They must have found out about his intrusion. He'd have to find another way out. The red head turned and took another corridor, going through the door to McFist's office. Inside, a meeting was being held. Hannibal McFist and Willem Viceroy stood in the room talking with The Sorcerer. Nomi hid and quietly snuck to the other side of the room, listening to the conversation as he did.

"I am losing my patience, McFist!" The Sorcerer shouted.

The blond man shifted nervously, "I realize most of our plans haven't worked _so far_, but _this_ one is fool-proof! Viceroy!"

The scientist rolled his eyes and explain the plan. Nomi opened the door to leave and glanced at the green man on the screen. It felt like somebody had stabbed him. He bit his bottom lip and darted out the door. From there it was simple enough to jump out a window and run down the pyramid shaped building.

* * *

"Nomi!" Randy exclaimed when the other teen stepped through the door.

Howard glanced at him then focused his attention on the television. Nomi looked to Howard then turned back to Randy, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Can't keep bros down." Came Randy's response, then, "So, where were you?"

Nomi took a seat on the couch and said, "I was looking through the records room at McFist Industries to see what I could find about his connection to the Sorcerer."

"Did you find anything?" Randy asked, sitting down as well.

Nomi withdrew the journal from his cape and explained, "Yes. This journal tells about how McFist met the Sorcerer and why he works for him."

Howard snatched the journal and flipped through it saying, "And I thought_ I_ was bad at spelling."

"Yes, the syntax may be atrocious, but it is very informative. It may help with the current situation." Nomi stated.

"Whatever." Howard said and tossed the journal to Nomi, who caught it with one hand before it was able to hit him in the head.

Silence passed for a while. Eventually Randy asked, "I'm gonna order a pizza. Nomi, you want any?"

Nomi felt his stomach lurch at the thought of having pizza for the third night in a row and shook his head, "No, thank you."

"Well, count me in!" Howard shouted to Randy, who'd gone to the phone.

He shouted back, "I usual?"

"Yeah!"Howard replied.

Randy returned to the room and the three watched TV after a debate about what to watch. Fifteen minutes later dinner arrived in its usual cardboard box and Randy a Howard ate. Nomi turned in early, leaving the two bros to play Grave Puncher and chow down on snack foods and soda, even though they just ate.

* * *

**So, yeah. Really short chapter. sorry guys. I've had a bit of a writing block...**


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